LMSW LMSW Human Growth and Development Questions and Answers 5 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: The concept of 'resilience' in child development is best described as:
- The complete absence of risk factors in a child's environment
- The ability to adapt positively despite significant adversity or stress (Correct answer)
- A fixed genetic trait that protects children from all harm
- The process of eliminating all environmental stressors
Correct answer: The ability to adapt positively despite significant adversity or stress
Resilience is a dynamic process of positive adaptation within the context of significant adversity, shaped by protective factors across individual, family, and community levels.
Question 2: According to Marcia's identity status theory, an adolescent who has committed to an identity without exploring alternatives (e.g., adopting parental beliefs unquestioningly) is in which status?
- Identity diffusion
- Identity moratorium
- Identity foreclosure (Correct answer)
- Identity achievement
Correct answer: Identity foreclosure
Identity foreclosure occurs when a person commits to an identity—often handed down by parents or authority figures—without undergoing personal exploration or crisis.
Question 3: Which developmental milestone is typically associated with the emergence of 'stranger anxiety' in infants?
- 2–3 months
- 4–5 months
- 6–9 months (Correct answer)
- 12–15 months
Correct answer: 6–9 months
Stranger anxiety typically emerges between 6 and 9 months, coinciding with the development of specific attachment bonds and object permanence.
Question 4: A social worker uses a strengths-based approach with an elderly client by identifying her role as a community elder and cultural knowledge-keeper. This is consistent with which developmental concept?
- Role exit
- Gerotranscendence
- Disengagement theory
- Generativity (Correct answer)
Correct answer: Generativity
Generativity, Erikson's concept from middle adulthood that can extend into later life, involves contributing to future generations through mentoring, teaching, and transmitting cultural knowledge.
Question 5: In the context of human development, 'heteronomy' as described by Piaget refers to:
- A child's ability to consider multiple perspectives simultaneously
- Moral reasoning based on one's own internal values and principles
- Moral reasoning governed by external rules and authority figures (Correct answer)
- The tendency to judge actions by intentions rather than consequences
Correct answer: Moral reasoning governed by external rules and authority figures
Heteronomous morality, seen in younger children, involves viewing rules as fixed and absolute, set by authority, and judging actions primarily by their outcomes rather than intentions.
Question 6: Which of the following best illustrates the concept of 'goodness of fit' in child development?
- A child's intelligence matching their academic curriculum level
- The match between a child's temperament and the expectations and demands of their environment (Correct answer)
- A parent's income level adequately meeting a child's material needs
- A child's physical development aligning with age-appropriate norms
Correct answer: The match between a child's temperament and the expectations and demands of their environment
Goodness of fit, introduced by Thomas and Chess, refers to how well a child's temperament aligns with their environment's demands, which predicts adjustment and wellbeing.
Question 7: According to Levinson's theory of adult development, the 'midlife transition' (around age 40–45) is characterized by:
- A stable period of career consolidation and family investment
- Questioning the life structure built in early adulthood and confronting mortality (Correct answer)
- Rapid cognitive decline and reduced social engagement
- The achievement of final identity resolution delayed from adolescence
Correct answer: Questioning the life structure built in early adulthood and confronting mortality
Levinson's midlife transition involves reevaluating one's life structure, confronting discrepancies between dreams and reality, and grappling with one's own mortality and the polarity of young/old.
The concept of 'resilience' in child development is best described as: